A Bond of Spirit and Blood
by Half fried egg roll
Summary: Follow the story of Gian and Bastian, two among The Survey Corp's most elite soldiers, as the Corps embark on their most critical expedition in recent memory
1. The 47th expedition

**Author's Note**

Gian, Bastian and Beth are characters made by me entirely and are set in the Shingeki no Kyojin (attack on titan) world, before the fall of wall Maria.

*Check below for some FAQs

* * *

**Chapter 1 - The 47th Expedition**

Shinganshina was one of the poorer districts in the walls. Situated on an outcrop of Wall Maria, they were most at risk from any titan invasion. The homes weren't the most lavish, but people still lived a happy life. The district was extremely busy today, as it was market day. Through all the bustle and commotion the tower bell started to toll. The bickering and the movement stopped and the citizens spread to either side of the road. From the distance the sound of hoofbeats on the central paved street became louder.

Brave men and women in green cloaks moved down the path in a disciplined formation. For some, the Survey Corps were a ray of hope, while for the others, they were a waste of taxes, which they felt could be better spent on the Military Police or the Stationary Guard.

Gasps and whispers of admiration could be heard through the silence. "That is Erwin Smith…Commander of the Corps!" From the other side one asked, "Isn't that Squad leader Levi? Humanity's strongest!?" But of course there were scathing comments such as, "Ughh…more food for the titans."

The soldiers proceeded down to the outer gate, ready to kick off the 47th expedition outside the walls. With one objective in mind: setting up a final supply checkpoint for the forward operations base, southwest of Wall Maria.

The last of the carts were brought into formation and the area outside the wall had been cleared of titans by the Stationary Guard's cannons and elite soldiers.

Bastian, meanwhile, was in the rear cart guard unit still holding on to Gian's horse. Gian was with his sweetheart, Beth, bidding her farewell. She was a rather tall and fit looking woman, with long black hair which ran down to her back and what Gian described as 'scary' green eyes.

"Don't do anything stupid out there," whispered a worried Beth, as she ran her hands down his arms.

"Oh, come on, you know me," Gian replied in his usual brash manner. Beth casually slapped him."Alright! Alright! I'm sorry, I'll look out for myself," the both of them kissed each other goodbye. Beth felt a little more reassured.

"Hey, since you have to move to Trost for a few days, you can stay at my home. I already told Mum, she's going to cook your favorite meal!" Gian remembered off the back of his head. "You can catch the afternoon ferry, tell them Bastian sent you." He confirmed.

"Ha! Thanks!"Beth's eyes lit up like a child's, she always loved visiting his house and spend time with his mother.

"See you soon," Gian planted one last kiss on her forehead as he turned and headed back into formation and mounted his horse.

"I'm not your stable boy, don't expect me to hold on to Winter all the time," said Bastian with a sarcastic grin on his face.

"Pfft, stop your whining already," Gian replied, trying to fake some irritation.

"Aaah it's market day today, I wish I had bought an orange to eat before we started off" Gian looked a little disappointed. Bastian reached into his saddle pocket and tossed an orange at Gian, he had bought one knowing it's his favorite.

Gian looked at Bastian with a starry eyed expression. " I….love you," he said with a smile, and tore away at the orange as if it was his last.

"Want me to tell Beth?" The both of them laughed out loud as Bastian poked a little fun.

He was this casual only around Gian, with others he was usually a very quiet person.

"So when are you asking Beth the big question man?" Inquired Bastian.

"Whaa- what do you mean exactly?" Gian made a poor attempt at looking puzzled.

Bastian smacked him on the back of the head "Don't play dumb with me."

"I will man, but once the expedition is done and we are back. But I'll need a ring; how the fuck will I choose a nice one?" Gian for the first time seemed nervous about something.

"Hey don't worry, I know this cool place in Karanese." Bastian started speaking louder "Im Sure PETRA can come with us on our next break and help us pick out a nice one."

GIan picked up from there. "Petra? Meh. She's got pathetic taste."

"WHAAAA? Hey, I heard that you, bastard." Shouted a scornful Petra, waving her fist.

"Awww, is little Petra angry?" Continued Gian.

"Ill bash your faces in when we get back!" she screamed back.

Petra, being relatively new to the corps , those two would always pick on her, however she owes her life to both of them as they had saved her from the clutches of a titan in her first expedition.

Mike , Bastian and Gian's squad leader couldn't help it and let out a comical laugh, However, he quickly became serious again "Alright sober up now, I don't want any nonsense."

Such levity was not seen in a Survey corps expedition in a very long time. Probably because their losses had reduced considerably thanks to the long distance detection formation designed by Commander Erwin Smith, and the last few expeditions have resulted in significant successes.

As the gates were opened, commander Erwin let out his signature battle cry "ONWARD!"

Hearing this all the soldiers behind him regained focus and embarked on the final stage of this objective.

* * *

Bastian and Gian were two of the finest soldiers in the Corps, despite being in the legion for only a year their titan kill scores were enough to rival those of some senior team leaders or even squad leaders (28 kills for Bastian with 9 of them solo and 33 for Gian with 15 of them solo), and their individual skill was only bested when they worked together as a fearsome duo. So renowned was their expertise in murdering titans that even Levi called them "Impressive" and Hanji would often express jealousy towards Mike for having both of them in his squad.

Apart from this, they were also extremely close friends and confidants, and shared an equal dedication towards humanity, many recruits often mistook them for brothers, although they looked nowhere near alike. Bastian was heavy and well built, owing to his past as a wrestler and has brown hair cut in a neat crew style. Hanji often teased him for being "fatter" than Mike.

Gian on the other hand, was a lot more lean and shorter but is at the peak of physical fitness and has jet black hair parted neatly on the left and was the best user of the 3D Maneuver Gear in his entire trainee batch.

* * *

For this expedition Mike's squad was assigned the rear guard for the cart protection unit, surrounded by the vanguard up ahead, consisting of Commander Erwin, Levi, Hanji and her squad, the left and right flanks as well as the formation's rear guard, their aim this mission was to avoid titans and get to their destination as soon as possible with minimal losses.

As the legion rode out, individual squads spread over a large area and took their positions as per the long distance detection formation.

the aim of this tactic is to maximize visibility in order to spot titans early, In the event of a titan being spotted a RED flare is fired, and every subsequent soldier who sees the flare, fires his own, when this information reaches Erwin he fires a GREEN flare in the direction he wants the formation to move in order to avoid the titan.

Every soldier who sees the flare fires green, to once again, spread the information. However there are Aberrant type titans who posses some intelligence, are faster than usual titans and tend to avoid outer flanks in the formation and head towards the centre to cause as much chaos as possible, In such an event a BLACK flare is fired and soldiers in the immediate vicinity try to take it out as quickly as possible.

"These carts contain infrastructure, weapons, artillery, supplies. Everything we need to finally set up our forward operations base, Escort the carts, make sure they reach the rendezvous point even if it means your lives!" Mike gave his impromptu briefing.

"Understood Squad leader!" his soldiers replied.

It wasn't long before the first titans were sighted and red flares began to line the sky as Erwin replied with his own green flares to adjust directions. "Eld fire the replying flare, son." Asked Mike, as he sniffed out an oncoming downpour.

An hour into the expedition Bastian felt rain drops on his face.

"Oh man, now, of all times," He said with a dejected tone

Gian looked up with worry, as the heavens opened up, "Four days of sunshine before this, and the day the expedition begins, it rains, talk about bad luck, a fog is building up too."

This was a heavy disadvantage for the long distance detection formation, as Titans are extremely tough to spot in such conditions, and by the time they are, they are deep within the formation, and have to be dealt with no matter what.

Lack of visibility also makes it tough to see flares, at this time protocol is to assign 1 rider from each unit as a messenger in a sort of an information relay system, this does weaken the formation a bit, but keeps vital information circulating through.

"Damnit, I can't see shit, Titans can creep up on our asses and we wouldn't even know!" exclaimed Darius, Mike's senior team leader.

During this time, Moblit, a member of Hanji's squad rode back down to the cart guard unit, with a new set of orders from Commander Erwin.

"Squad leader, we're switching to secondary protocol. a group of titans have been spotted approaching from the west, the centre column will move through the forest of giant trees coming up ahead, the right flank is bracing for action as we speak, we need to spread the word to other columns as well."

"Understood Moblit, proceed to the left flank, Eld, you are our fastest rider, spread word to the rear guard, then join with Darius in reinforcing the right flank. Gian, Bastian and I will continue to escort the carts." Mike gave his set of orders to his squad.

"This shit only happens when you're around." Gian taunted Bastian with a mix of frustration and humor.

"Right, so you're calling me the rain God now? Fine, I can live with that." Replied Bastian.

"Focus men, this is no time for chit chat." Mike grabbed their attention once again, as he sensed a foul smell in the air. Two flares popped up from the rear guard, but this time they were the dreaded color…black. Mike hated being right all the time, as he was barely able to spot the flare round through the fog

"Aberrant type titans, approaching from the rear." Declared Bastian. as he could see the silhouettes of the titans charging at them.

"Six in visual range, 500m away, moving fast!" Added Gian as the titans sped towards their direction, their gigantic footsteps would've intimidated most other soldiers, not to say they weren't afraid, but they trusted each other, which caused the fear to disappear.

In the midst of the impending chaos, and the heavy rain, Bastian looked towards the northwest direction and caught a glimpse of what looked like a feminine titan, he felt as if it was moving away from the formation rather than towards it.

"Squad leader, I think I saw…a titan that looked like a woman…" Bastian spoke with a surprised tone. "It's as if it's retreating back." He added

"What?" Mike raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Bastian just said.

"Wow you're so devoid of sex that you're imagining lady titans now, that's just great." Gian tried to dismiss Bastian's claims.

"Ya I'm probably seeing things, this weather ain't helping." Bastian looked down and cleared his head

"Gian, Bastian, arm your swords and switch to 3D maneuver, its time for action." Commanded Mike, as the group of titans came within engaging distance.

"Cart column! Follow the Vanguard towards the forest of giant trees, we will buy you time to distance yourselves from the titans." Mike made a tough but necessary decision.

* * *

Using 3D gear in flat open fields was difficult with very few targets to hook on to and pull yourself toward. But Mike, Gian and Bastian were perhaps 3 of humanity's strongest soldiers, and they had full faith in their own abilities and each other.

"Split up, cover as much area as you can, break the titan group into a manageable size!" commanded Mike, showing his military genius again.

"Roger!" both of them shouted back in unison

Gian smiled gladly as he had the chance to slaughter a few more titans, while Bastian had a burning determination in his eyes whenever he had the chance to prove his worth to humanity.

As the first titan blindly ran into Gian's hook range, He took off of his horse, using his gas exhaust as a boost,And planned out his maneuvers to kill the titan in his head.

_Ah, I have been thinking of this maneuver for a very long time, time to put it to use._

_Hook the chin, gain momentum, be wary of titan hand trying to grab you, dodge. _

He adjusted his direction by using his exhaust to avoid getting caught, a maneuver that would have caused an ordinary soldiers' muscles to start aching, but Gian being incredibly fit could perform such feats of stamina without tiring. Then he caught up with his train of thought.

_Reach eye level, take out the eyes. _He detached both his blades and sent them flying right into the titan's eyes, it groaned in pain as it grabbed its eye sockets.

_Hook the forehead, carry forward circular momentum, pull back hooks, re-equip blades, and position behind the nape, hook slightly above the nape._ His 3D gear whizzed as he pushed it to it's limit.

_AND__ SLASH! _In one smooth motion he managed to circle over the titan's head and give the nape a clean cut.

The titan's hulking body fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Bastian's 3D maneuver style was a lot less cerebral and was based more around brutal speed using his heavy weight to gain superb levels of momentum and not giving titans time to react at all.

he used the branch of a tree to circle around and fly skyward, gaining altitude and positioning himself diagonally over a crawling titan that was approaching Gian.

It was a fast moving target, but he managed to latch his hooks onto the back of it's head, as he sacrificed altitude for speed.

"Don't look up!" He shouted as he slashed out the titan's nape and landed smoothly.

Mike in the meanwhile used himself as bait to bring three titans behind him.

Once both his men had regrouped after their respective kills, he turned his horse around, leaped off of it and launched both his hooks at two of the titans which were in front, speeding through between them to proceed to the 5th titan.

While giving Gian and Bastian the easiest 2 kills of their lives as they managed to slash the titan's napes conveniently from behind. Mike meanwhile made quick work of his own target.

Finally there was just 1 titan left, but it was a big and fast 15m class. Gian had landed on the ground after his previous kill and faced the Titan from the side.

He started thinking again. _If I go for the neck I'll be a sitting duck. _

He spotted Bastian who was still in the air after his last kill. They nodded at each other, and Gian tapped his neck, signaling Bastian to go straight for the titan's nape, it was a risky strategy, but Bastian knew Gian had a plan.

_Hook the ankles, release maximum turbine exhaust, stay close to the ground, avoid titan's grabbing arm, _

_Butt stinging from being dragged OUCH! _He tried to ignore the pain as he neared the titan's feet.

_Swipe out the tendons! _The titan lost its balance and started to fall to the ground as he managed to tear both the ankle tendons in one swipe.

_Where the hell is Bastian?_

As he looked up he spotted a fast moving object and then titan blood spilling out from the nape. Bastian had hooked the titan's neck just a few seconds after Gian hooked on to the ankles and they killed off the titan in perfect harmony

The three soldiers regrouped in the middle of a field of evaporating titan bodies, called their horses back and proceeded to rejoin the formation and continue with the mission.

* * *

**Author's note**

*Here's a couple of FAQs put in through review and PM requests!

FAQ: What is a Titan?

A: A titan is a humanoid creature which can be anywhere between 3 to 15 metres in height, their only motivation seems to be devouring humans. The only way to properly kill a titan is cutting them at the nape of their necks, any other damaged part will regenerate in minutes or even seconds. they usually have very little to no intelligence. to defend themselves from the titans, the humans shut themselves within 3 gigantic concentric walls : Maria, Rose and Sina

FAQ: What are the survey corps?

A: also called the Scouting legion or the Recon corps, these handful of soldiers are tasked with human expansion and progress outside the safety of the walls, this branch of the army attracts only the most dedicated of soldiers. Ohh and did i mention they wear sexy green cloaks!

FAQ: What is 3D maneuver gear?

A: It is a piece of equipment that Steampunk-spiderman would use, it enables humans to move in three dimensional space using hooks to grapple at certain surfaces and thrust themselves forward using a turbine gas exhaust, Also 6 pairs of swords are kept in the sheathes attached to the hip. I don't really know how else to explain it, if you want details you can check on the wiki site for attack on titan :P. Every soldier usually has his own way of using it to kill titans.


	2. A New Enemy

**Chapter 2 - A New Enemy**

Bastian and Gian followed Mike to the Forest of the Giant Trees. They felt their muscles tense a bit from the stress of fighting six aberrant Titans, but the remaining adrenaline made the pain disappear. The fog was moving away, and they could see Titan corpse vapors rising up from the west.

"Squad leader, how do you think the right flank fared?" Bastian inquired worriedly.

Mike, though preoccupied with his thoughts, replied," I'm sure they did well."

"If they actually killed that many Titans, the losses must have been…" Gian spoke with narrowed eyes. He was furious that many of his friends had to sacrifice themselves to keep the rest of them safe. Both of them valued their comrade's lives highly, more than their own lives. It was a trait that they had developed while watching out for each other during their training days.

* * *

_**2 months ago**… _

"Keep going forward, keep up with the carts, engage the Titans only if they directly endanger the convoy!" Hanji Zoe commanded as she led the right flank of the escort unit through the very same forest. While hooking and swinging through the trees, Petra's right wire missed its target and she hurtled into the hands of a Titan.

"Ugh!" She let out a groan of pain, as she slammed into the Titan's hand

"Keep moving! Maintain the formation!" Hanji tried to keep her team together.

Bastian, seeing that Petra was caught, disobeyed the direct orders, banked to his right in a wide circle and cut off the Titan's arm just before it swallowed her. As Petra fell toward the ground, Gian followed up, and with a tremendous display of agility, he spun around in a sharp reverse turn and slashed the Titan's nape while it was still recovering from Bastian's assault. This was their twelfth Titan kill together and their fierce sense of protectiveness had earned them the respect of many of their fellow soldiers.

* * *

_**Back to the expedition**…_

"Keep riding southward. The forest is coming up in another two-hundred meters." Mike knew the area well because of countless expeditions through there before. They rode at top speed and soon saw the carts up ahead.

"Everything alright, Trayus?" Mike asked their cart & equipment in-charge

"You guys kept them off pretty well, we didn't even see one up till now!" He commended his guard unit.

In the meantime, the vanguard had dropped back to provide added protection. The three of them rode up and joined them.

"Erwin, we have never drawn so much attention, especially from such large groups of them," Mike commented.

"It's as if someone knows we're here, and doesn't want us to finish the mission," replied Levi with his usual collected voice.

Erwin kept silent throughout the exchange, and finally spoke up. "We will keep moving forward."

As the forest of giant trees approached, Gian and Bastian looked up and saw the enormous treetops rise above the fog. It was as breathtaking as it was eerie.

The trees were almost 60 meters in height, and had thick branches and barks. It was an ideal environment for 3D gear usage. Gian loved maneuvering in a forest like that. It allowed him to quickly change directions, perform one-eighty degree turns and use fake-outs to distract certain aberrant titans, so that they were easy to kill. There, Gian could easily take on multiple Titans at once and dispatch them with ease.

On the contrary, Bastian disliked it. He preferred open spaces to gain speed and height; however the trees allowed him to shift directions without losing too much momentum, so he used that to his advantage, but he still could not be at top speed most of the time.

"Bastian, do you think the others are safe?" Gian sighed. He was still worried, and furious.

"Eld and Darius went there too. I'm sure that with reinforcements the right flank held out, but the rear guard…" Bastian did not want to think about it.

Suddenly, the sound of Titan footsteps became more and more apparent. The darkness of the forest combined with the fog made it impossible for them to determine their numbers, direction or distance. Knowing the stakes around them, Commander Erwin decided to play his trump cards.

"Levi, Bastian and Gian, refill your gas and blades from the supply carts and split in three directions: Southwards, Northwest and Northeast. Contain the Titan's advance and eliminate any you deem necessary. Patrol a 500 meter area, fire a green flare, and then return back to formation." The three of them rode back to the cart column and filled out their gas canisters.

"Listen, Gian, No one's watching you, so don't try anything flashy. Bastian, keep an eye on him...always," Levi cautioned both of them with a stern face.

"Understood, squad leader!" Bastian hesitated with the reply.

"We know who the flashier one is amongst the two of us, Squad leader!" Gian took a jab at Levi.

"Hmph, get your head together, Gian, this is not an acrobatics performance," Levi replied, before taking off in his assigned direction.

"Let's kill those bastards off and meet back in the formation," Gian said as the two of them knocked shoulders. They had always had that little ritual before going off to solo assignments.

It wasn't long before Gian spotted his first Titan.

_A stupid one? Let's make it quick then…_

It was an easy kill, as the Titan was too slow to respond to Gian's attack and he cut its nape. He spun himself around and kept moving forward. His right leg ached a little, but the pain soon disappeared, and he kept swinging, every sense that he had alert. As he flew overhead, he noticed two Titans below him. They were moving fast towards the carts, and Gian needed to take them out quickly.

_Turn to face the back, hook the back of one Titan, turn hip to the right, fire second hook at other Titan._

He front-flipped in mid-air to face the Titans from behind, and shot both his hooks individually, one at each Titan to make sure he didn't lose them in the fog.

_Reel in the left side hook, cut the nape! Release hook, reel in the right side hook, kill the next Titan!_

The blood in his head shifted from one side to another. His vision blurred, but he kept spatial awareness, knowing exactly where he was going. Both Titans roared in pain and fell to the ground.

"Huh…they are behaving strangely today, it's as if they are being told what to do, rather than act on their own," Gian thought to himself aloud.

At the opposite end of the forest path, Bastian was scouting his area, keeping as high an altitude as he could and using as little gas as possible to avoid making too much noise. It would give the Titans very little chance to detect his movement. His wet cloak made it slightly difficult for him to fly straight.

He spotted a seven-meter Titan below him moving towards the center in the opposite direction. He shot his hooks downward and rotated his body, so that he faced upward. When he arced back down to the direction the Titan was moving in, he was perfectly positioned to eliminate it.

Thanks to the split-S maneuver, he was moving even faster than before. "Damn, I hope I don't fly past him without seeing it," he said to himself. Through the fog, the highly disfigured frame of the Titan appeared. He placed both of his blades on top of each other, and to his extreme right to have a longer cutting range. He flew very close to the Titan and his blades made contact, almost slicing its neck off completely.

He fired his green flare to signal his area was clear, but he couldn't see the other flares because of the horrible visibility in the forest. At first, he started to go back to rejoin the formation, but Levi's words rang in his head…

_Bastian, keep an eye on him…Always._

With that command, he started flying towards Gian's assigned direction to check on him.

As Gian shot his green flare to signal that his sector was clear, he looked back and noticed a silhouette of a strange looking Titan.

As he got closer to it, his eyes widened in surprise, and something Bastian had said earlier came back to him.

_Squad leader! I think I saw…a titan that looked like a woman…_

"It looks…like a woman." He whispered to himself. "So Bastian wasn't seeing things?" He turned around to meet the threat. Just like the other Titans, it was running toward the centre, its foot falls louder and louder with each passing second.

When Gian approached engaging distance, he saw the hook of another soldier hit a tree and out of the fog came a young recruit.

"I won't let you reach the centre column, you bitch!" He shouted in anger as he approached her neck. The female Titan turned around and grabbed his wire, causing him to swing and crash violently into a tree. His dead body fell to the ground.

"MARTIN!" Gian yelled. He continued to watch in horror, trying to grasp what had just happened. He took a good look at this enemy; it was definitely feminine in appearance, and more physically fit compared to other disfigured Titans. It lacked skin around its arms, torso, below the eyes, and behind the legs, exposing a lot of muscle. He calmed his mind and started trying to think about how to dispatch this new threat.

_So, it's aware of hook wires, but does she know how our gear works? Let's try the ankles!_

As he hooked on to them, the Titan jumped, pulling Gian's hooks along with it as well to try and crush him underfoot, but Gian saw it coming.

_Not that easily! Retract hooks, turn around, hook a tree, and gain height again._

He spun himself around and narrowly missed the Female Titan's foot, moving higher up to buy time to think of his next move. But as he did that, he noticed that it covered its nape with its hand.

"It knows how our gear works, knows its own weak points, and is extremely fast and agile…well, that's not fair."

_Let's see if you can scratch your back; two trees behind her, five weakpoints, don't give her a chance to grab the wire_

He jumped off his vantage point and dove directly over his target. Gian used short-ranged hooks on the trees around the Titan, to make five quick slashes on the shoulders, back, knees, shin and ankles before retreating out of sight. His renewed flurry stunned the Female Titan a bit, and it staggered and rested against a tree, trying to regain balance.

_I can do this all day, woman, how about you? –I'll make you pay for what you did to Martin…_

As he cooled down from his previous attack, he heard the sounds of 3D gear hook lines straining to pull something heavy.

A smile lit his face." Ahh, took you long enough."

Bastian flew in with such speed that the Female Titan didn't have time to decide what to do next. As he closed in on its nape, however, a strange crystal-like substance covered it, and the blades broke on contact.

"Huh!?" Bastian looked surprised; the blades hadn't done any damage! He and Gian regrouped on a high branch as the Female Titan did the same on the ground.

"This one's intelligent," Gian said. "Don't hook anywhere near it, She knows her weak points and thanks to you, we know that she can harden her skin."

"But…then how? How did it manage to get past the entire left flank without any messenger getting through to warn Commander Erwin? Did it kill each one?" Bastian asked, his teeth clenching as his rage built up.

"Focus, man! We can't kill it mindlessly; we need a plan." Gian said as Bastian began to calm down. "Shear out its shoulder muscles, make its arms useless," Gian suggested after a minute.

"No, they will regenerate! We must lock her arms in." Bastian tapped into his knowledge about wrestling: lock the shoulder ball and socket, so that opponent won't be able to move his arms. He had an idea. "Jam your blades into its shoulder joints; she won't be able to protect her nape then. You bait it, and I'll make the first strike. That should buy you enough time to hit her other shoulder."

"Alright, let's get on with it then" Gian was too focused on the mission at hand to even try and throw in a cheeky statement. Bastian flew upwards, to perform his trademark split-S maneuver and Gian dived downwards, spotting the target again. It had started to run.

Gian moved in front of it to draw its attention and hooked directly at its face, gained momentum and withdrew them, flying towards the Female Titan's mouth. As he neared the target, however, he faked-out, spun his body around ninety degrees and hooked onto a tree to move away. But it seemed that the Female Titan had seen it coming and stopped instantly, grabbing Gian mid-flight with its right hand. '

"Ugh, Hng," Gian tried painfully to free himself, but he ran out of breath. He could feel his body beginning to break as she closed her fist.

'Gian! No!" Bastian was in shock and stopped his maneuver mid-way; he couldn't believe that Gian had been caught so easily. He narrowed his eyes. _You are not getting away with that!_

He circled around, gaining more and more velocity." Die now, BITCH!"

…**_To be continued_**

* * *

**Author's note**

A big, huge, enormous, gigantic hug to GeorgyannWayson for Beta-reading this chapter! It made such a significant difference!


	3. Of Those Back Home

**Chapter 3 - Of Those Back Home**

The sun poised itself high in the sky and streams of sunlight tore through the darkened clouds that loomed overhead. Beth walked out of the Shinganshina Stationary Guard barracks, where she'd been assigned to be over the past few weeks.

"Ma'am! There's a letter for you!" one of the soldiers called, stopping her in her tracks. "My apologies, I forgot to give it to you yesterday."

"It's alright," she replied as she took the letter. "Thank you very much." With the letter in hand, she walked toward the waterway to catch the afternoon ferry as Gian instructed her to. She was quite excited to see his mother and stay in his home again.

_I hope that grandfather is feeling better now…_ She was worried about him and wanted to see him as soon as possible. _I should get to Trost quickly! _She quickened her pace and reached the dock. Upon arriving, she could hear fishermen bargaining and the gawking of the gulls flying overhead. In the distance, she spotted the ferry that would take her to the Wall Rose.

_Wait a minute…there's no passenger ferry for at least three more days. _Then she remembered that Gian told her to mention Bastian. She shook her head with a smile; Bastian was up to his old tricks again.

"Oi, missy, this ain't a passenger ferry, it's military stuff only!" a dockworker shouted as she approached the vessel.

"Umm, I'm De Vrij's friend," she said with a hint of hesitation. The dockworker nodded.

"Ah! I see, Melroy! It's Bastian's squeeze! Give her a nice seat on the upper deck will ya? We want her to get a nice view of the ride." the dockworker winked at her.

"But I'm not his-"

"Do ya want to get on this blasted boat or not?" he snapped. Beth's hand connected with her forehead in exasperation and she sighed. [Well, at least it's something.] She got in the boat and walked to the upper deck so that no one could see her from the docks. It was going to be a good few hours before they arrived at Trost. She rested her head against a wooden beam and fell asleep; the last few weeks had been very tiring for her...

* * *

_**Five hours later…**_

A dock bell woke her as the ferry passed through the waterway gate of Wall Rose.

"Finally," she murmured sleepily to herself as she rubbed her eyes. She got up and walked out towards the ramp to disembark.

"Oi, from behind those boxes! I don't wanna lose my job over some girl who got on the boat," the dockworker grumbled.

"Oh alright, but what's your name? I need to tell Bastian about you later," she said as she looked up at him.

"My name's Neil, but that's just for ya. You don't need to be telling Fatty about me. Now get goin'."

As Beth crossed over the waterway bridge, she could see a large portion of the district in the distance. Through the moon-streaked clouds, she could see the stone buildings, the tall towers, the Reeves corporation building, and the military hospital.

_Grandfather…_ she hoped that he was well.

Gian's house was also in sight. Dim streetlights lit the narrow pathway to it and she could already smell the tantalizing aromas of his mother's cooking. Beth felt a sense of excitement rise up in her; oh, the memories! Trost was a place where in a span of three short years she had made many cherished memories. She, Bastian and Gian had spent many days together during their leaves; she remembered the bottle of wine that Gian's mother had opened in celebration after they had graduated and she also remembered all of the time she had spent with Gian alone. Those were parts of her life that she hoped would never come to an end.

Beth was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that she had reached the front door. She knocked, and the door opened, revealing a woman dressed in simple attire; she was much shorter than Beth, but her face was oh so familiar.

"Beth! Dear it's wonderful to see you!" The woman exclaimed as she hugged her.

"Ms. Pieco! It's great to be back!"

"I'm sure you're tired," Ms. Pieco replied. "You can use Gian's room, I'll go along and prepare dinner. I trust you remember which room is his?"

"Ha, of course I do! May I ask what you've cooked today?" she asked with a playful smile. Ms. Pieco's food was some of the best she had ever tasted, and she couldn't wait to hear what was on the menu.

"Oh, it's a surprise, but I'm sure you'll love it!"

"I'm sure I will," Beth agreed, holding up the official letter. "I'll just go up and finish some work while you're doing that."

"Of course, take your time! But make sure you take a bath first, you've had a long day!" Ms. Pieco said as she walked toward the kitchen. Beth sensed uneasiness in the kind lady, but it was understandable; her only son was outside the walls risking his life. The last thing she wanted to be was an inconvenience to her and her good graces. With a sigh, she went up the stairs to clean herself up for dinner.

* * *

It had been two days since the 47th expedition departed.

Her hair still damp from her long bath, Beth sat by the windowsill and rested her chin on both her hands. She stared at the many lit windows in the distance, and the odd cart that made its way down the alley. Her head tilted upwards and her eyes fell on the enormous silhouette of Wall Rose. It swallowed the entire horizon. To most people, that image meant protection and safety. But for Beth, Gian and Bastian, it was a sign of oppression.

She carefully opened the envelope's official seal and pulled out the letter inside.

_To: Beth Carlise,_

_Stationary Guard Logistics,_

_Trost district._

_Greetings,_

_The Military Hospital Doctor would like to let you know that your grandfather is recovering well. No surgery will be required and he will be able to move out in a few days' time._

_Also, I would like to commend you on your work in the Shinganshina supply chains re-routing. Wall upkeep and canon maintenance times have significantly reduced. Your planning and strategizing skills are greatly appreciated. We look forward to having you back at the Trost headquarters, squad leader._

_With Regards,_

_Dot Pixis,_

_Commander, Southern region._

Beth was relieved knowing that her grandfather was doing well. She folded the letter and set it aside; her mind was already too preoccupied to take on writing a reply. As she leaned back and closed her eyes, memories from the past came floating to her mind's eye. They took her back to a time to when she first saw both of them…

* * *

"What's your name, maggot?" Instructor Shadis screamed at Gian.

Gian straightened up, his posture likened to a salute. "G-Gian Pieco, Sir! Trost district!" Gian was surprised that he could even speak while being shadowed by such an intimidating man. Some cadets around him gulped and he tried his best to hold back a shiver of fear.

"What is someone pathetic as you going to do in the military?" the instructor barked as he bent his huge body over Gian's short stance.

"I-I know I am worth more than w-what I did before this. I will do better than the others." Despite sweating and being embarrassed before everyone, Gian fought to keep his ego intact.

"We'll see about that in three years! Right now you're just Titan food!" Instructor Shadis roughly grabbed Gian's jacket collar. "First line about turn!" he roared in the young soldier's face…

* * *

Beth giggled at the memory. Oh, how much Gian had changed so much since then. Though he was bigger and stronger than when he first went into the military, his mind still worked the same way.

As she trudged through the memories, one rose to the surface of Bastian...

* * *

"What about you?" Instructor Shadis moved onto Bastian, who stood out as the tallest amongst the other trainees.

"Bastian De Vrij, sir, From Stohess district!" he said proudly.

"Ahh, Captain De Vrij's son? Wouldn't he be proud to see you here." All of a sudden, the instructor drove a knee into his stomach. Bastian fell to one knee after the blow, but got back up and resumed his salute just as quickly as he fell. "Who do you think you're doing a favor by walking in here?" Though Instructor Shadis was trying to intimidate Bastian, it wasn't going to be easy; they were about the same height. "You'd do well to be even half as good as your father!"

Bastian's face fell into a mild frown at the mention of his father.

* * *

She remembered all the nights where she would study with the two of them in the mess for theory tests. Bastian would coach them on hand-to-hand fighting, and Gian would intently listen and take in everything. Yes, those were the days…

The aroma of delicious bread interrupted Beth's thoughts. She always loved Gian's mother's cooking. Her belly rumbled and she ran a hand over it. Where was once hardened muscle, a belly was forming. Life at the Stationary Guard logistics department was definitely softening her up. But Beth had a reason why she couldn't be in action. Her hand ran up her bandaged chest and to her shoulder. How she craved to ride outside the wall with Gian and Bastian, to fight alongside them, and to work towards humanity's betterment in a more direct way. But all she could do was worry about them as she sat back at home.

"Dinner's ready, Beth!" Ms. Pieco called as she knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Beth got up from the windowsill and opened the door.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." Ms. Pieco said. She knew Beth was busy, but it wasn't abnormal for her to be so. She was always doing something: writing, thinking, studying or the like. Ms Pieco was glad knowing that her son was close to someone that was intelligent like her. She hoped that some of it would rub off on him eventually.

"No, no! I was waiting for dinner anyway." Beth said as she followed Ms. Pieco down the stairs.

"How is your grandfather, dear?"

"He's a lot better now. The military hospital is taking very good care of him. He'll be released in a few days' time."

"Oh! That's great news!" Ms. Pieco said. "You know that you can stay here for as long as you need! You'll always be welcomed here; you're family, after all."

Beth smiled at the warm reminder, and she and Ms. Pieco sat down at the table to eat. With gusto, Beth chomped down on the ciabatta bread, dipping it in the tomato and eggplant gravy. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the light bitterness of the roasted eggplants, with the buttery olive oil certainly hit the spot.

But as she ate, she noticed that things were quiet between her and the kind lady… almost too quiet. She paused and cleared her throat. "Ms. Pieco, are you all right?" Ms. Pieco looked up. "You seem…a little worried, is all," Beth said. Ms. Pieco gulped.

"It's always like this, whenever those two go off on those expeditions," she said softly. "After I met you and Bastian, I finally felt like I had a family again. But I was so anxious when Gian told me he joined the military; I just hoped that once he graduated that he would choose the Stationary Guard or the Military Police." She sniffled, trying to hide her tears. "Back then, he would have, but something within those three years changed him. Now I always fear losing those boys whenever they go outside Wall Maria."

"Ms Pieco," Beth said gently. "We would have all made that decision. It was something we all wanted to do. We all wanted to serve humanity."

"But you serve humanity, too, and you're a part of the Stationary Guard. Once you recover completely, will you change branches too?"

Beth noted distantly that Ms. Pieco sounded very worried. "I don't think I'll ever be of use to the Survey Corps," Beth replied as she touched her injured shoulder again. "But you shouldn't worry about them; Bastian and Gian will always look out for each other. They always have. You know that."

Ms. Pieco smiled. "Yes, you're right about that. He has matured so much since those days when he ran away from home, chasing God knows what. But now, I can say that I'm proud to call him my son." Beth smiled at Ms. Pieco's loving tone of voice. "Ohh, the gravy has gone cold; me and my ramblings!" She quickly got up from her chair, obviously embarrassed.

"Oh, don't worry." Beth stood up and waved her hand. "Let me handle that for you." She took the pot and carried it to the kitchen. Though the two women were comforted by each other's presence, they both anxiously awaited the tolling of the town bell that signaled the return of the Survey Corps.


End file.
